James Bond looking good at 50 years, and at 5 weeks; ‘Skyfall’ breaking records right and left

This past weekend,Skyfall jumped back into the top spot with nearly $11 million in its fifth week in release. That might seem like a big comedown from the last time it held number one – its debut raked in $88 million.

Don't hide in the shadows, Mr. Bond. There's nothing to be ashamed of.

But it’s rare for any movie to rebound like that and especially one that’s been out this long, and $11 million in your fifth week ain’t too shabby either. Currently, it’s the fifth biggest title of 2012 in the U.S. And that’s not even the biggest news: Worldwide, Skyfall is now the third biggest grosser of the year, behind The Avengers and Ice Age: Continental Drift. Add in the domestic totals and the 23rd James Bond film’s $918 million (and counting) haul makes it the biggest Sony release ever. The previous record holder was Spider-Man 3.

Want more? Skyfall is now the biggest earning James Bond film in history, 50 years after the series first began with Dr. No. Adjust all the 007 films for inflation and it still ranks at number four, behind only the 1960’s trio of Sean Connery favorites, Thunderball, Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice. And it likely will surpass You Only Live Twice by year’s end or soon after.

Critically, it stands at a whopping 92 percent approval rating onRotten Tomatoes. And it’s no pipe dream to think it could become the first Bond film to score Oscar acting nominations, forJavier Bardem,Judi Dench or both. Finally, throw in the fact that not only could Adele’s theme be the first one to win for best original song (Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me [“Nobody Does It Better’] and For Your Eyes Only previously netted nominations in the category), right now it stands as the odds-on favorite. (OK, “Strange Love” from Frankenweenie and “Abraham’s Daughter” from The Hunger Games are in the mix, too.)